Football: Texas State tops Ohio in triple overtime

Ohio lost its first game of the season in a shootout Saturday, losing 56-54, in triple overtime. It was Ohio’s first triple overtime in program history.

Ohio was up 31-28 in the fourth quarter before quarterback Greg Windham fumbled, giving Texas State possession. Texas State trudged down the field to score a touchdown, going up 35-31.

Windham responded, throwing a 75-yard touchdown pass to Papi White, putting Ohio up 38-35. Texas State didn’t go quietly into the night, kicking a field goal to put the game into overtime.

Windham threw a touchdown pass to Jordan Reid in double overtime, putting Ohio up 48-41. Texas State responded once more with a touchdown of its own.

Both teams went back and forth in overtime, but Texas State sacked Windham to end the game.

The offenses were on fire, with Ohio totaling 630 yards and Texas State getting 546. The last time Ohio had over 600 yards of offense was against Ball State in 2015.

Windham got his first career start, and he tried the big play early in the game. On Ohio’s first play, Windham threw a deep pass to White, but White dropped it.

Ohio’s offense looked solid at the outset, with running back A.J. Ouellette bursting open for a 40-yard run during the first drive. Ouellette suffered an injury shortly after, which halted Ohio’s momentum.

During the middle of the first quarter, kicker Louie Zervos got Ohio on the board with a 35-yard field goal. Zervos made three field goals during the game to help Ohio stay in the game despite its spotty offense.

In the middle of the second quarter, Ohio’s defense couldn’t contain Texas State. Texas State’s offense finally hit the ground running after picking up only 31 yards in the first quarter.

Running back Stedman Mayberry got Texas State the lead, scoring its first touchdown of the game. Along with Mayberry’s touchdown, quarterback Tyler Jones rushed for a touchdown, putting Texas State up 14-6 at the half. Texas State totally outplayed Ohio in the second quarter, gaining 172 yards to Ohio’s 63.

Ohio responded in the third quarter, with Windham throwing a 22-yard pass to wide receiver Kyle Belack. This play set Ohio up for a touchdown, and running back Maleek Irons scored the team’s first touchdown of the game.

Though Ohio responded at the beginning of the third, its defense still couldn’t hold up. Texas State threw a touchdown pass with 2:50 left in the third quarter to go up 21-16.